Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Two year old properly cellared bottle. Poured into a Nostramus flute. Pours a very dark mahogany amber. Very thin head leaving a thin ring and light lacing. Nice aroma of caramel malt, whiskey, dark fruit and vanilla. Wow. Very nicely integrated malt, whiskey, dark fruit, oak and vanilla. Medium to heavy bodied. Sorry I couldn't compare to fresh, but this two year old bottle is delicious. Absolutey melded flavors with the alcohol well hidden. Superb. (454 characters)

12oz bottle generously shared by DrGonzo3705 (thanks Paul!). This pours murky and dark, with the thinnest of foam on top.

It smells very nice, Flying Dog has barrel aging nailed (with this and the BA Gonzo as my data points). The oak presents with vanilla and maybe a little charred wood, the base beer with caramel and toffee and other barleywiney things.

Sweet and burning, this is very tasty stuff. Lots of malt flavor, the definition of a malt bomb, very little hops lived through the barrel aging. Thick and rich, with little carbonation (although it had some). Excellent, so glad Paul brought this out. (610 characters)

For an experiment, Flying Dog took their Horn Dog Barley Wine and aged it in used Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey barrels for 13 months. Only 725 bottles for this run, but with barrel-aging being all of the rage we are sure you will see more experiments come from them.

Light on the carbonation, which only produces a thin light brown lace, the liquid is so think the tiny bubbles look like they are in slow motion. An expected mild haze in the walnut brown color from the barrel-aging. Boozy aroma with notes of vanilla, toffee and figs. Creamy syrupy full body with a very light carbonation that seems lost in the liquid. Massive malt base with a complex sweetness of caramel, cake batter and bread crust. The maltiness reaches even deeper with the whiskey oaky tones of wood, vanilla and the obvious whiskey flavor which never becomes too expressive. Hops are extremely modest with only a slight spicy bitterness that couples with the warming alcohol to help balance. Ends sweet with a lingering oaky vanilla flavor.

Other than the lack of carbonation, Flying Dog seemed to hit the nail right on the head with the flavor profile. The barrel character was very noticeable but never overkill, nor was the malt sweetness. We hope for all of the beer geeks out there, including us, that this is not only a one-off experiment and we'll see more of this sooner than later. (1,403 characters)

Big thanks to ratebeer's rgtravers, I owe you one Ryan. Pours mahogany with amber edges and almost no head. The aroma smells great with musty malts, smooth chewy dark fruitiness and a bit of oxidation keepings things interesting. It them moves into notes of bourbon and oak. The taste begins sweet with creamy chewy malts, some caramel, plums, minced cherries, a modest level of whiskey and oak. Seems even more age can improve this brew. (438 characters)

Smell: Exquisite aromatics - caramel, dates, chocolate and, of course, whiskey and vanilla but the balance is what sets this apart

Taste: The caramel, chocolate and dark fruit flavors blend together up front, with the whiskey barrel and vanilla aspects building toward mid-palate; after the swallow, the balance of flavors is very pleasant, with the whiskey touch adding complexity but never overwhelming the balance

Mouthfeel: Thick and syrupy, with no carbonation

Drinkability: Despite the lack of carbonation, this is one very nice barleywine that has benefited from a few years of age

i got this one in a recent trade with rgtravers. i really can't thank ryan enough for this one. not only has it been on my want list for ages, but he approached me to offer it. thanks ryan!

12oz bottle. sampled oct 11/09, side by side with a standard horn dog (vintage 09FF).

pours hazy deep dark brown with a thin wisp of ultra fine white head. the head instantly recedes to a thin ring around the glass and leaves only a few spots of lace. it's noticeably darker than the non-barrel aged version but both carry the same haze and similar coloured head.

aroma is great. there's definitely whiskey in there! whiskey, oak, and vanilla. alcohol. dark chocolate. whole wheat bread and biscuit. light caramel. bit of toffee. hint of smoke. it doesn't have the fruity component that i notice in the regular version, and carries less toffee and butterscotch too.

taste is great. light alcohol. vanilla and oak. whiskey. brandy. caramel, toffee, and butterscotch. multi-grain bread and biscuit. bit of dark chocolate. medium-low bitterness level. unlike the non-BA version, the bit of fruit here is more well rounded and integrated and works well, lending a bit more of a brandy-ish slant to it that is quite nice.

mouthfeel is great. nice big body. fairly low carbonation level, but it works just fine. carbonation is much lower than the non-BA version, but also much better.

drinkability is excellent. fantastic balance. very complimentary barrel character. i'd easily drink tons of this one, and definitely enjoy it more than the standard version. (1,548 characters)

A: Pours a dark ruby red color. A small tan forms, but recedes in an instant. No lace.S: Sweet dark fruits, vanilla, oak, whiskey. Some chocolate, caramel, and toffee. Lots of layers in the nose. Really inviting.T: Sweet malt. Caramel and toffee. Dark fruits and vanilla again. Similar to the nose. Though maybe a little to sweet.M/D: A full body that is low on the carbonation. Sticky and syrupy. Hot alcohol. A slow sipper, but enjoyable to drink.

Like the regular Horn Dog. Very sweet and malty with lots of alcohol. This is a great after dinner drink, and something that would be great for the cold winter nights as well. (629 characters)

Very good for the style. English Barleywine, which is not too hoppy and not too malty but a perfect combination of the two and very close to style. Had this on a hot afternoon, which is not ideal for this type of beer but it was refreshing none-the-less and featured great dark fruit taste, good color and excellent carbonation. (328 characters)

I can only thank the Charlotte Beer Club and it's member, Adam for this amazingly rare beer!This beer was poured from bottle and literally had NO head at all. The body, and really the entire liquid is a very dark reddish brown.Smell is amazing! It is full of funky rich prunes and raisen flavors. Very dark cherry finish on the nose and the nose has lots of full bodied dark cherry undertones. GREAT SMELL!Taste is sweet with dark and full bodied malts with little accents and swet fruit notes of apple. cherry, and raisen. None of the taste over power but there's a crazy slightly metalic and tart warmth that finish the beer off.A great mouthfeel on this beer.Very drinkable, IF you can get this beer, drink it soon, it's already aged, many flying dog reps have advised me so. (783 characters)

From notes...Thanks to hopdog for this.Appears a dark brown with crimson edges when held up to the light. The small, tan head slowly fades into a collar. Spotty lacing is left around the glass.Smell is of toffee, vanilla, bourbon, brown sugar, and maple syrup.Taste is even more intense with the aromas shining through in the flavors, along with a toasted nuttiness that makes this beer more dimensional.Mouthfeel is full bodied, syrupy, sugary sweet, and chewy. (467 characters)

A - dark reddish brown. At first glance I thought it was flat. On closer inspection there are trace bubbles on the sides of the glass. Maybe 2-3 years of aging will get some carbonation?S - dark ripe fruits, vanilla, oak, sweet vinous malts. T - my first thought was, JW Lees harvest ale. My second thought was, not quite as sweet as the aformentioned beer. Similar to the aromas, the barrel kicks this brew into a whole other place as compared to the regular barleywine. quite tasty!M - full bodied, a trickly of carbonation, mellow, thankfully not overlysweet.D - would go way up with decent carbonation. as is this is good but probably better as a 6oz bottle. (731 characters)

Pours a hazy chocolate brown in color, an agressive pour cannot summon up even a little carbonation, a few lonely bubbles is all. Aroma is amazing. Sweet sugary aged maltiness smells of raisins and prunes balanced by a leather and woodiness that almost goes chocolate. Big aroma but one that you could keep your nose buried in for a while. Rasisiny in the taste, goes chocolate then vanilla with a nice woodiness hanging in through a good part of the taste. Dry woodiness mixes with a good warmth of alcohol in the finish. Mouthfeel is medium in body, slightly slick feel from the low level of carbonation, little pepperiness before a somewhat dry and decently warming finish. Outstanding barleywine in every aspect. The whiskey barrel ageing adds a nice complexity to the sweet maltiness. Great aroma, taste and feel. Major thanks to Tom for the opportunity. (859 characters)

12 ounce bottle acquired in a trade with riored4v, thanks for picking this gem up for me on your trip to Colorado, only 700 bottles of this stuff made as an experiment of the brewer, believe this beer was eight dollars originally, gave a few ounces to my girlfriend, poured into my Dogfish Head snifter

A-Medium brown with dark highlights and some murkiness, on the redder side in the light, absolutely no head or carbonation, no lacing, just looked really flat and in desperate need of CO2

T-Started off with lots of whiskey, some sweet vanilla and caramel malt in the middle, ended with more booze, stuff was definitely sipping material, as it warmed it became harder to drink and it was evident that it was filled with sugar, got some burned accents in the finish later on, could barely tell it was a barleywine to begin with in my opinion, the whiskey barrels took it over but that is not a bad thing in this case, no hoppiness at all, different malt characters providing some balance with the bourbon, towards the end got very strong tasting and took me quite some time to finish

M-Thought this would be syrupy after seeing how flat it was but was not at all, thin to medium body, strong mouthfeel that is a little spicy and sweet, really needs some carbonation though

D-This bottle was almost too much, so any more would have been out of the question, high in alcohol, which is not hidden that great, smooth, although very heavy on the stomach

Chose this as the special beer that is going to bump up my level of beerdom from Zealot of Beer to Aficionado, been sitting in my fridge for close to four months, from one of my favorite breweries and liked it better than the standard Horn Dog, one of the better barrel aged barleywines I have tasted, would certainly drink again, recommended if you can track one down (2,001 characters)

Appearance: My bottle seems to be compromised, so there was no CO2 at all in there. The color is very very dark brown, and a bit murky.

Smell: I am immediately struck by Bourbon or whiskey (looking at the bottle, I realize it's whiskey), and massive vanilla aroma. There's a lot of other complexity in there, but it sure smells like spirits. Nice!

Taste: The intense vanilla and whiskey aroma translates 100% into the taste. Plus there's a bit of a hops in the middle that engages the alcohol to bitter it up. It warms from mouth to throat and on. I get a bit of oxidation, but in a good, authentic-seeming way. A little CO2 would be a welcome prickle and lift, but even without, it is great.

Drinkability: An awesome contemplative sipper. Not so good with the red meat sauce that normally greets my barley wines with aplomb. But perfect with vanilla ice cream! Make this one an ice cream float, and you're golden. Or just take it for itself, and you can't go wrong either. (1,062 characters)

Thanks to Bob for sharing this at a gathering of the usual suspects at the Brick Store Pub. Poured dark chestnut with little head. The aroma is breathtaking. A beautiful balance of oak, sweet malt, and dark fruit with a layer of very clean smelling whisky gently overlaying the rest of the aromas. Just marvelous. Unfortunately, the taste fell a good deal short of the ethereal aromas. The same nuances detectable in the nose are present in the taste as well, just a great deal more muted. In fact, the taste is even a little watery, and far too sweet. Still, there is enough of that lovely whisky and restrained oak to make it worth drinking and leave you with a smile on your face after each sip. It's just a fleeting smile as you releaize that this sipper doesn't have any legs. Light bodied, but not at all hot. The overall impression is that the sugar will get you before the alcohol will. Glad I tried it, but as rare as it is I won't be seeking it out again. (965 characters)

Pours a very murky dark brown, through which light does not penetrate, with only the barest collar of foam at the endges of the glass. Aroma is huge vanilla and oak, followed by dark malts and some whisky notes. Very complex. Flavor is extremely sweet upfront, big dark malts, dark fruits (figs, dried plums and raisins), and notes of whisky. Any traces of hops have long since disappeared. Alcohol warms all the way down. Big and full bodied, aftertaste is well balanced and fades fairly quickly. (497 characters)

I bought some bottles at the brewery yesterday and had a sample of the regular Horn Dog which was very good. I also got a shot of Stranahans whiskey which was tasty. The first smell of the bottle is a nice subtle whiskey, and I don't like whiskey usually. The color is a dark, murky brown with a stingy amount of bubbles, darker than most barleywines I've had and possibly a shade darker than regular horn dog. It must pick up some coloration from the whiskey barrel. The whiskey is intense in the aroma but it is good and I enjoy inhaling deeply. The flavor is a nice, sweet malty fruitiness with whiskey notes. Lots of flavors (smokiness?) going on, I will need to sip this slow. (681 characters)

Smell: Wonderfully sweet-smelling aroma of bourbon and all of its compulsory, accompanying notes of vanilla, brown sugar, and charry oak.

Taste: Hugely sweet, with flavors of maple syrup, caramel, vanilla, and brown sugar. Hint of scorched oak. Nothing in the way of hop flavors or bitterness. It's as if the barrel aging knocked them entirely out of the equation. The alcohol, though noticeable, remains at a very sensible level. Finishes sweet, leaving this a candy-coated treat from beginning to end.

Purchased at the brewery. The salesperson said that only 700 bottles were made.

This beer poured a deep brown color with a slight head. The aroma is malty and caramel with a hint of whiskey noted. The taste is sweet and malty with some characteristics picked up from the barrel - a little rough but delightful. The mouthfeel is full and seems appropriate. It is a barley wine, but that being said - quite drinkable.

(As a side note  Horn Dog is one of my favorite beers, and this version does not disappoint!) (513 characters)